


Buried

by ChrysusCat



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 10:38:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18809446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChrysusCat/pseuds/ChrysusCat
Summary: Wild dies, oopsie





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> READ THE TAGS FOR TWS, please tell me if I missed one! :3  
> Anyways onto the angstfest, pt 1! Take it from the top!

Wild slipped.  
Sky dove after him. 

He grabbed him by the wrist, Wild’s eyes wide. He managed to grab a root sticking off the side of the rock face with his other hand. But it wasn’t enough. Sky’s mind raced as he pulled Wild up into his chest, the root was bending. Ripping. 

Sky steeled his nerves. He let go.

Sky wrapped around Wild, ignoring the child’s scream as they rushed toward the ground. He wouldn’t be able to use his sailcloth and hold onto Wild, he couldn’t try to grab onto the cliff face, the others were too far away to help, if they’d noticed them fall at all. 

So they fell.

Sky pulled the boy tightly into his chest, wrapping him in the sailcloth and hiding Wild’s face. He held him. He held him, and prayed. He prayed to Hylia, to help the boy, to let him not die yet again. He prayed to her for himself, wishing he wouldn’t look too gruesome, splattered on the ground. Wild had already seen too much death, too much pain in his young age. 

Wild tried desperately to push him away, to maneuver himself underneath Sky, to take his place. He almost succeeded, Sky panicking internally. But the ground came much sooner than he was expecting.

His side hit the ground. Everything went black.

————————————

Twilight could do little more than gasp as he watched, as the child slipped and fell over the edge, Sky following him down. He tried to run to them, to catch them before it was too late, but it felt like time had slowed down.  
He watched, as the hand gripping the root let go, slipping beneath the rock.  
He watched, scrambling to the edge, as Wild screamed, and Sky resigned himself to his fate.  
He watched, as Wild struggled, only killing them both. 

He watched. As Sky’s side hit the ground, his head snapped to the side and eyes blank, blood already pooling beneath his skull, running and dripping from his nose and ears. 

As Wild’s head snapped from Sky’s arms, dead all the same, Sky’s efforts only stopping his head from splattering on the rock. 

They lay there, next to each other, and all Twilight could do was watch.

————————————

Legend _screamed_ as he watched them fall. He watched them hit, but he quickly tried to push that image out of his mind, desperately trying to climb down to them. He latched his hookshot to the top of the cliff, scaling down as quickly as he could. 

He barely noticed the rest of the Links doing similarly, Wind being the exception with his Deku Leaf. He had tunnel vision on his friends. His, currently _dead,_ friends. He crashed to the ground, but jumped up just as quickly.  
He raced over and crashed to his knees, digging around in his bag. He knew he had a fairy _somewhere, wherewasitwherewasitwherewasit-_ His mind raced. _Whydidn’tWildwakeupyetwherewasMiphashewassupposedto_ **protect** _him-_

He pulled the fairy out finally, the others landing by their sides. 

Time kneeled by Sky’s head, swearing under his breath. Twilight watched, helpless, tears glistening in his eyes. The others were all desperately digging through their bags for healing items like Legend.

He hesitated with the fairy. Sky had no chance without it. But if Wild hadn’t been revived yet, who’s to say he would be at all?  
He sucked in a breath. He took a chance, and released the fairy. 

————————————

Sky woke slowly. 

First his hearing came.  
He heard hushed voices, sobs.  
He heard rustling trees and the sound of someone screaming in frustration. 

Next was his sense of smell.  
He smelled crisp, clear air, as if it’d just rained.  
He smelled the copper tang of blood, pressing in on all sides, suffocating him. 

Then was taste.  
He tasted blood.  
That was all he could taste.

Then he could feel.  
Grass under his palms, sticky with yet more blood.  
A cold breeze, chilling him to the bone.

He opened his eyes with a gasp.

————————————

They were back in Time’s Hyrule before they could even react.  
They moved off toward Lon Lon Ranch, Sky having taken it upon himself to carry the too young boy’s corpse, wrapped in his sailcloth. 

Malon rushed out to greet them, but as soon as she spotted the small, bloody package in Sky’s arms, all she could do was sink to her knees and hold the poor little boy who had been like a son to her. 

 

The funeral was small, held at sunset. 

The now 8 heroes, and Malon, all gathered around a much too small grave. The body was wrapped in Sky’s sailcloth, and when that wasn’t enough to fully cover him, Warriors gave up his beloved blue scarf to wrap around the boy’s neck and head. He would’ve looked almost peaceful as Twilight carefully lay the body in the grave to rest, if not for the painfully pale skin, and usually chubby cheeks sunken in and gaunt. 

They buried him all together. 

When it was done, they all held each other, and cried as the family they were. _And they had just lost their youngest._

————————————

Malon was alone in her kitchen yet again on a stormy night. 

She was making dinner, just for one, as usual. A particularly loud crash of thunder scared her, and she dropped the bowl she was holding. It shattered on the floor, and she frowned. She tried to pick up some of the pieces, but she heard a voice. Desperate for whispering over her shoulder. She didn’t even make out any words before she dropped what she was doing and whirled around, eyes wide. 

She put a hand on her chest, trying to catch her breath. It had really felt like someone was in the room with her, but that was silly, she was alone in the house, the boys had left as quickly as they’d come, only staying for a few days after the funeral. Her heart still ached for the little boy who had been through so much, just for something like that to do him in. It was just unfair. 

_”You can still help him.”_

Malon **jumped.**  
She whirled around, looking around for the source of the whisper. 

_”Please, help him.”_

Malon backed up against the counter, making sure her hand was on the handle of the kitchen knife she’d been using a few minutes prior. She called out to the voice, and waited. And waited some more. But it never came.

Until.  
The next day, she was out feeding the horses when she heard it again.  
More frantic this time, urging her to ‘dig him up’, ‘help him’, ‘free him’. She was deeply unsettled, she _knew,_ deep down, what the voice was talking about, but she had a job to do. So she got back to work.

That night, Malon sat by Wild’s grave and cried.

 

It was another two days before she heard the voice again. She was replacing the flowers on the boy’s grave, when she heard it. Soft, pained whispers. Then she saw a face. Then a body. A beautiful Zora girl, standing behind the tombstone they’d made for Wild. She had spectral tears running down her face, burning and sizzling out before they could hit the ground. 

_”Please, I have done all I can. You must help him now, he is not yet lost, but I fear he may be soon if you do not_ **help him.** _”_ She begged. Malon merely watched with wide eyes, processing what she had said. Her baby boy wasn’t gone? “What do I have to do?” Malon whispered shakily, hands held over her chest. 

————————————

Malon felt sick as she dug. The Zora girl, who she had figured out was Wild’s friend, Mipha, floated behind the tombstone, never moving, merely watching.  
She dropped the shovel after a few minutes, afraid she would hit the boy and injure him if he was alive. She fell to her knees and continued digging with her hands, desperately scraping dirt aside, until she spotted the fabric of a familiar blue scarf.

————————————

Malon sobbed, finally having the boy’s body in her arms again. His _living, breathing body._ He was unconscious, and horribly dirty, but Malon didn’t care. She didn’t know how the Zora girl had done it, but she didn’t care about that either. She sniffled, scooping up the boy as gently as she could, still wrapped in the sailcloth and the scarf. He was just so _cold._ She carried him back to the house, and silently hoped the boys would return soon.

————————————

Wind trudged on behind the other 7 heroes, his legs felt like lead. He only kept going because, if Sky could, the most emotional and open of them all, and probably the most personally impacted by this whole ordeal, then Wind could, too.  
That didn’t stop him from wishing he could simply lay down in the dirt and sleep forever, though. 

Twilight was utterly broken. He wouldn’t eat, hardly slept, and his performance in battle was sloppy, at best. Time was getting worried for him, he didn’t want Twilight to slip up and he definitely didn’t want to lose another son. The others weren’t much better. Sky hadn’t spoken at all except when spoken to, and it was only the simplest of one-word answers. Warriors was dull eyed, he kept reaching up to his neck, rubbing at it where the blue scarf should’ve been. Legend was irritable, and kept his distance, clutching Wild’s stuffed fox when he thought no one was looking. He kept getting into fights with Four, once it even descended into a fistfight, and Time had to break it up. Four ended up with a broken finger.  
Time had had enough.  
He sighed, and turned to the dead-eyed group of boys. They were all too young when they started, and had all experienced too much, too quickly. But nothing had rocked them to their core quite like this. Time felt his heart ache for their childhood innocence, for the guilt they were all inevitably feeling.  
“We’re going back to the Ranch. Obviously we aren’t going to get much done with you all like this, we need time to heal. All of us.” He murmured. A few voiced concern or hesitance, but he silenced them by lifting his hand. “No buts. Back to the Ranch.” He said firmly. 

They all turned around and started back the way they came.

————————————

Time sighed as he took in the ranch. He was incredibly alarmed, however, to see naught but a big hole, a shovel, and a few piles of dirt where Wild’s grave had been. He suddenly sprinted to it, crashing to his knees and peering inside. Empty. Not even the cloths. Grave robbers? He thought, fuming. 

He didn’t have much time to be mad, though, as Malon rushed out of the house. She had tears in her eyes, but she was _smiling._ Time bit his lip as she ran over, opening his arms as they collided. She hugged him tight, and he buried her face in her hair. She pulled away much too quick, but her eyes were sparkling. “Dear, he’s _alive._ ” And that was all it took before he was pushing past her, rushing to the house with Malon and the boys hot on his heels. 

He burst into the living room, and sure enough, there was a sleeping, _alive_ , Wild, laying on the sofa. He nearly choked on air, he fell to his knees beside Wild. He ran shaky fingers through Wild’s dirty hair, just feeling the warmth of the boy’s skin and watching him breathe. He had to remind himself to breathe too. 

The rest of them stood in the doorway, most of them crying, all of them relieved beyond words. Wind took a tentative step forward, and that was all it took. The other 7 all came to their knees around the couch, arms around each other, but also on _Wild._ He was fine, he was alive, and Sky didn’t think he’d ever be able to forgive himself for failing him. But for now, he just cried with the rest of them, placing a shaky kiss on Wild’s forehead and holding his hand. 


	2. Chapter 2

Wild woke up the next day, surrounded by his family.

It took Time a little while to realize the boy was even awake, as all he did was open his eyes and stare at the ceiling for almost 15 minutes. Time jolted up, waking the others almost instantaneously. He propped Wild up carefully, the boy didn’t seem to react. Time felt a bolt of fear as the boy sat there, staring blankly at the floor. “Wild?” Time said, shaking the boy lightly. At this point, the others were sitting up, a mixture of emotions on their faces. “Wild, look at me.”   
No response.

“What’s wrong with him?” 

“Is he okay?” 

“Wild. Wild!”   
.  
..  
...

Nothing.

————————————

It had been a week since Wild woke up, and they were starting to lose hope. 

He wouldn’t respond at all. He was practically catatonic, he’d eat if food was put in his mouth and sleep when they lay him down, but he wouldn’t talk, wouldn’t move, wouldn’t do _anything_ on his own. 

They tried everything to get him to ‘wake up’, they tried playing his favorite songs, they gave him his stuffed fox back, they even tried ordering him to answer them, hoping at least _some_ part of their little one would respond.

Nothing worked.

Until.

Time was sitting on the sofa, just leaning back and holding Wild to his chest, murmuring reassurances to him and running his fingers through his hair. If Wild was still in there, he desperately hoped he could still hear him.   
Well, he was right.   
Wild’s arm suddenly lifted from its place at his side, tiny fists clutching the front of Time’s tunic. His eye went wide, but he didn’t have time to say anything, because then the boy was trembling, eyes wide, still staring off at nothing. He parted his lips. 

_”P...pap..a..?”_

Time froze. Then he was pulling the boy closer, holding him, kissing the top of his head. He reassured Wild that, yes, yes, Papa was here, he wasn’t going to leave.   
But all too quickly after it started, Wild went limp again.  
His hand fell from Time’s chest, and his eyes slid closed.   
Time let out a small gasp, looking down at Wild. He felt tears gathering in his eyes as he lightly shook Wild’s small form. “..Wild?” He murmured.

Nothing.

————————————

It was yet another week before it happened again. 

This time it was with Twilight. He was carrying the boy, having taken him outside to get some fresh air. The other boys were working on the Ranch, Malon said that they were here, they might as well help out, but Twilight knew she was trying to keep their mind off things. 

‘Things’ being a currently sleeping bundle in his arms.

He could almost ignore the events of the past few weeks when he was like this, pretend he was going to wake up and yell ‘Big Brother!’ In that tiny, excited voice and demand a piggy-back ride or something. But no, when he woke up, all he did was open his eyes and stare off at something he didn’t really see.   
Except,  
This time, when he woke up, he blinked. He blinked, and slowly looked up at Twilight. 

“Big.. Brother?” He murmured, in a small, broken voice. 

Twilight’s face snapped down to look at Wild. He smiled, tears already in his eyes. He hugged him close, lowering to his knees. “Yes, yes Wild, it’s me, your Big Brother. I’m here.” He whispered into Wild’s hair as the boy started crying. A few, hiccuping sobs, clutching Twilight’s shirt, but then he was gone again. 

Twilight held the boy close and sobbed. 

————————————

The next time was only a few days later.   
It was nighttime, all the boys piled on the floor together. Time was the exception, he was asleep in his bedroom with Malon, Warriors insisted upon it, he had gotten hardly any sleep since Wild died. So instead of Time, now was Warriors laying on the sofa, with Wild laying on his chest, asleep. 

Wild sighed, and Warriors snapped his attention to the boy. His brows were furrowed, and mouth parted, panting. Warriors’ heart clenched. He pulled the boy close, brushing the hair away that fell in his face. Wild whimpered, and he opened his eyes just a sliver. Warriors’ heart almost stopped, seeing actual _emotion_ in those big, sapphire-blue eyes. 

Wild coughed, rough and pained. “W..’r’rs?” He whimpered. Tears gathered in Warrior’s eyes. “Yeah buddy, it’s me. What do you need?” He murmured, rubbing gentle circles on his back. Wild gasped quietly. “W’r’rs.. d-don’t l’v.” He whispered. “D-Don’t l’v m’ again.” He grasped fistfuls of Warriors’ shirt. 

Warriors choked on air. He hugged Wild tightly, burying his nose in Wild’s hair. “Oh, nonono, Wild, I promise you we’ll never leave you again, I promise you, buddy.” He whispered, Wild’s arms going around Warriors’ neck.   
“B-B’t, it-it was so dar-dark, I-I-I c’ldn’t _breathe-_ ” He choked out, shaking like a leaf. 

Warriors felt guilt twist his stomach, he couldn’t even imagine what this child went through. He rubbed soothing circles in Wild’s back, shushing him. “It’s okay Wild, you’re alright now. Breathe... It’s okay, see? You’re here, with me, look, and there’s everyone else too. We’re all here. You’re okay.” He murmured to Wild, the child’s sobs and hiccups slowing. 

Wild blinked tears from his eyes, squeezing Warriors one more time, before he closed his eyes, shaking eventually stopping. Warriors sighed, holding him close, and rested his cheek on Wild’s head. He fell asleep quickly that night. 

He came very close to crying again when, that morning, Wild had that same dead eyed stare, but tear tracks were still crusted on his cheeks.

————————————

Wild still had brief moments of clarity, but they were few and far between.   
He seemed to be getting better, though, when one day, Time noticed Wild’s eyes slowly roving around the room, a small spark of recognition in those hazy blues. 

Sky started sobbing, when one day, he was sitting with Wild, reading a book, and Wild blinked, slowly looked up at Sky, and visibly relaxed. “y’r’... o..k..” he murmured, almost inaudible. Sky froze, looking down at him. He dropped the book, scooping Wild up in his arms, hugging him tightly, tearing up.   
The sobs didn’t begin until Wild slowly closed his eyes, leaning into Sky’s touch ever so slightly. 

They were all relieved to see the boy slowly coming around. Every once in awhile he would say just a word or two, or lean into their touch, but it was worlds better than the dead eyed stare he’d given them all the first week or so. 

 

Legend still kept his distance, frustrated despite the progress Wild had been making. He was mostly frustrated with Sky, he _knew_ that big softie blamed himself. But... he would admit, he felt guilty too.   
He was sure they all did. 

————————————

Wind and Warriors were roughhousing one day, it had rained the previous day and Wind threw a big ball of mud right into Warriors’ shirt.  
So now they were wrestling in the mud, throwing it at each other and smearing it on each other’s clothes. 

Time stood off to the side, chuckling at their antics, holding Wild, who watched blankly. 

Wind suddenly screeched indignantly as Warriors managed to get a mud-soaked hand right smack in the middle of Wind’s face. 

They froze, looking over at Time, when they heard a quiet, but unrestrained laugh from their youngest brother. A huge grin spread across Wind’s face as he watched the boy laugh, Warriors frozen, staring. Wind took advantage of the situation, lunging for Warriors with a war cry, mud in hand, only making Wild laugh more. Time smiled as the boys tussled.  
The child in his arms had a distant look in his eyes, but he held onto the front of Time’s shirt, _laughing._  
Maybe they would be fine after all. 

————————————

It had been almost a month since Wild was revived. The boy was aware and alert more often than not nowadays, though he was still subdued and tired most of the time. He still slipped back into the catatonic state once in awhile, and slept a lot more than he used to, but he was steadily getting better. 

What worried them the most, though, was the frequent nightmares. 

Almost every time Wild slept, which was often, he would wake up panting and gasping for air, writhing around in the blankets, often until he was held and reassured, or until he managed to throw the blankets off him, curling up and crying. Thankfully, the latter had only happened once, when he had drifted off after lunch, before the nightmares really started. Malon had lay him down to sleep in their bedroom, so he could have it quiet. 

When she heard quiet sobs, and saw a small, quivering ball in the corner when she cracked the door open, she vowed not to let him sleep alone again. So, she made sure one of the boys or herself were with him at all times. 

They were all glad to see it, and though he still flinched if Warriors’ scarf came too close to his face, and was a bit too quiet around Sky sometimes, their Wild was _back._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not too happy with how this chapter turned out, but oh well!   
> I think this is gonna be the end of the ‘main story’ thing but I’ll probably come back to this if I have more ideas for this little au of an au lol
> 
> Hope y’all liked it at least!


End file.
